In 2009 we wrote a plan.  In 2013 we updated it. The MACF update 2013 is now available.

In 2009, an action plan was produced setting out headline actions to tackle climates change in Manchester to 2020.  Manchester: A Certain Future: our collective action on climate change was written as a ‘plan to shape the future, a plan for the entire city’.  It was agreed at the time that, periodically, the plan would be reviewed and updated to keep pace with progress and change in the city and beyond.  This document represents our first full review, drafted (like the original) with the input of over 100 organisations and 200 individuals from across the city.

There has been significant changes to the world over the past four years.  Global CO2 emissions have continued to rise and the indicators of climate change have evidenced an acceleration of the rise in global temperature.  Reflecting this continuing trend, the forecasts of climate change scientists have become more stark: many agree that a 4 degree Celsius rise in global temperature may now be unavoidable – and radical strategies for both emissions reduction and adaptation are now more urgent than they were in 2009.

What does this now mean for Manchester? In the four years since we launched our first climate change action plan, there has been progress on a number of fronts.  This includes retrofitting domestic buildings, sustainable transport and most recently launching a unique carbon literacy programme.  However, as this refreshed plan makes clear, we still have so much to do if we are to deliver on our rhetoric and make low carbon city something more than just a hope or a statement of civic ambition.  So as you read this updated plan ask yourself what more you could do to help us deliver, whether within your organisation or as an engaged citizen who cares.  In order to support this, we have produced a number of information leaflets, designed to communicate what we are trying to achieve to a range of audiences across the city.